1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an antifreeze member including an antifreeze protein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although metal substrates have been widely used in the fields of semiconductors, energy, and bio sensors, frost or ice is often formed on the surfaces of the metal substrates under a very low temperature environment.
For example, aluminum substrates, widely used as cooling plates, have limited cooling efficiency since surface resistance is increased in a super-cooled state due to the formation of frost on the surfaces thereof and have reduced lifespans due to rapid corrosion thereby. Thus, there is a need to develop a technique to minimize and inhibit condensation on the metal substrate by treating the surface of the metal substrate with an antifreeze material capable of decreasing a freezing point of water.
Examples of antifreeze materials widely used to date include anti-freezing solutions (ethylene glycol), glycerols, and surfactants (alcohols, moisture removers, polysaccharides, and salts). However, since these materials generally induce concentration-dependent anti-freezing phenomena, they have been used as only additives in solutions. In addition, it is very difficult to accumulate these materials on the surface of a metal substrate in a regular form, and a surface-treatment is very complicated, thereby increasing manufacturing costs thereof.
Recently, antifreeze proteins (AFPs) capable of reducing a freezing point of water with a low concentration and found in various species living at low temperature have been reported. A major property of the antifreeze proteins is to decrease a freezing point of a solution by being directly adhered to ice and inhibiting the growth of ice crystals. This phenomenon is referred to as thermal hysteresis (TH).
It is known that these antifreeze proteins may be applied and utilized in a variety of fields including the medical field for storage of blood or eggs and the food industry for preservation of food. Therefore, applications and utilizations of antifreeze proteins will be described.